Afterlight by Rebecca Lim

Summary: A freak motorbike accident that claims the life of your parents is really all it takes to make your world fall apart. You might hope that a new beginning in a different high school is going to jumpstart your life; that a chance to reinvent yourself as just Sophie Teague, rather than Sophie-The-One-Whose-Parents-Died might just be all you need to get by. But before Sophie gets the chance to find out, she is visited by Eve. Eve isn’t like other girls. Eve is dead.

A freak motorbike accident that claims the life of your parents is really all it takes to make your world fall apart. You might hope that a new beginning in a different high school is going to jumpstart your life; that a chance to reinvent yourself as just Sophie Teague, rather than Sophie-The-One-Whose-Parents-Died might just be all you need to get by. But before Sophie gets the chance to find out, she is visited by Eve. Eve isn’t like other girls. She is beautiful and mesmerizing and Eve needs Sophie to be her go-to girl. Because Eve can’t do much for herself since she died. Eve is a ghost and dealing with the dead who have unfinished business could be the biggest challenge of Sophie’s life.

Afterlight is the tale of a grieving teen who has been through probably the worst kind of abandonment. Fast paced and edgy, this novel has all the best kinds of Young Adult fiction ingredients: characters that are three dimensional and quirky, a strong female cast, genuine dialogue and a pinch of otherworldliness.

In fact, all of the ingredients I mention above make for a fairly thrilling read, in no small part due to the diversity of the characters. Afterlight is certainly eerie and, if you will pardon the pun, haunting. At its heart, the tale is one of love and living and Lim makes a simple fictional pathway light up.

In summary, if Afterlight and its mystical, supernatural edge sounds like it might appeal, you probably want to take a look at the author’s other works, but I’d recommend The Astrologer’s Daughter which was just wonderful. You might also fancy a look at The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon as it really is very good; creepy and deliciously frightening at times.

Finally a big shout of thanks to the lovely ladies and gents at Text Publishing for sending us this copy for review.

You can read more book reviews or buy Afterlight by Rebecca Lim at Amazon.co.uk.

You can read more book reviews or buy Afterlight by Rebecca Lim at Amazon.com.